Toy gun



Dec. 11, 1951 V v, MUGGLl 2,578,198

TOY GUN Filed Aug. 22, 1949 2 SHEETS'SHEET l INVEN'TOR VlCTOR V. MUGGL! ATTORNEYS Dec. 11, 1951 v. v. MUGGLI 2,578,198

TOY GUN Filed Aug. 22, 1949 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 \NVENTOR VICTOR V MUGGL! ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 11, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOY GUN Victor V. Muggli, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application August 22, 1949, Serial No. 111,728-

- 4 Claims. (01. 12419) This invention relates to a toy gun and more particularly to one for discharging a succession of resilient bands, commonly known as a rubber band gun.

It is an object of the invention to provide a toy gun having means for effectively holding a number of resilient bands in combination with a trigger mechanism which will operate with each pull thereof to discharge one of a succession of bands from the gun in an efficient and easy manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy gun for shooting resilient band-like projectiles which includes what might be termed a magazine for holding a plurality of said bands, and which further includes a band discharging station or location in combination with a trigger which will discharge a band from said station and in the same cycle a trigger movement will deposit a succeeding band at the discharging station.

The above and other objects of my invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodimentof the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the gun with the near side of the frame or casing removed, moving parts being shown in alternate positions in full and dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the gun with the near half of the casing removed with the trigger in a different position than shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the trigger shown in a little diiferent position than that shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary bottom view of the handle and rear portion of the gun.

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the invention.

" Fig. 7 is a side elevational view with the near half of the casing removed.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view with the near half of the casing removed and the trigger unit shown in alternate positions in full and dotted lines, and

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 with the trigger in another set of alternate positions in full and dotted lines.

L-he device shown in Fig. 1 includes a casin Ill made up of a pair of identical longitudinally Vertically split halves II which may be suitably connected as by a bolt I2, which extends through suitable apertures I3 indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. The casing I0 includes a trigger guard portion I4 which defines a finger receiving space I5. The casing is shaped to form a barrel I6 and a grip or handle I'I. Each half of the casing is dished inwardly from its inner face so that a cavity or space is provided in the interior of the casing or frame. Located within the casing I0 is a trigger I 8 hav-- ing a finger engaging portion I9 which extends into the finger receiving opening I5 in the trigger guard I4. The trigger I8 has an upwardly extending portion 20 which lies in front of an abutment 2| formed on the inner upper portion of at least one of the casing halve I I. The trigger I8 is provided with a rearwardly extending portion 22 which terminates in a short prong 23 and an upper longer prong 24, these prongs defining a bight or notch 25.

Intermediate the front and rear portions of the trigger extension 22 and on the lower side thereof is a hook 26 which lies rearwardly and upwardly from a pin' 21 which extends into a space 28 formed in the upper portion of the handle I1.

There is an opening 29 through the casing III for a purpose to be described below.

The rear end of the barrel I6 is provided with a) vertical slot 30 which is bounded laterally by a series of notches 3| lying between small regular projections 32. Above the projections 32 is a larger and more rearwardly extending portion 33 and immediately above it is a smooth and somewhat rounded band discharging portion or station 34 at the upper rear corner portion of the barrel. A rubber band 35 is positioned under tension bef tween the pin 21 and the hook 26 and it imposes a forward and downward component on the trigger unit I8.

The forward end of the barrel I6 is provided with a large notch 36, which serves as a bandres ceiving portion at the forward endof the sun. .1 It should be noted that the trigger unit ,I8 literally floats within the casing or frame I0, but that it is normally urged toward the position shown in Fig. 3 under the influence of the rubber band orspring 35. When the trigger is pulled by a rearward force exerted against the finger contacting portion I9 of the trigger, the trigger will slide rearwardly on the trigger guard I4. When it has moved a short distance rearwardly'it will bring the upward extension of the trigger into engagement with the abutment 2| in the upper interior portion of the frame. This causes the rearward extension '22 to ride upwardly.

The device is loaded with a number of rubber bands or other resilient loops or rings by booking them in the forward barrel notch 36 and then successively hooking them at the rear of the gun in the notches 31 The first band to be placed in position is hooked into the lowest of the notches 3| and successive bands are placed in successive notches 3| in an upward direction. While this loading operation is being carried on the trigger is held in a backwardly pulled position, approximately the dotted line position of Fig. 2. When the notches 3| have been loaded the trigger is released and the rearward longer prong 24 on the rearward trigger extension 22 will rest upon the uppermost of the resilient bands as indicated by the lower dotted position in Fig. 2. Then another band is hooked into the forward notch 36 and placed in position on the projectile or band discharging station 34 as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The gun is then loaded. The trigger is pulled by rearward finger pressure on the portion IQ of the trig er and the band in the uppermost of the notches 3| will be received in the bight or notch in the rearward extension trigger 22. This trigger extension, upon continued pull on the trigger, will rise upwardly and carry the band from the uppermost notch 3| and past the projection 33 above said uppermost notch 3|. With continued upward movement of the rearward extension trigger 22, the band which was originally loaded on the band or projectile discharging station 34 will be positioned upwardly off of said station and the band will shoot forwardly.

The trigger is then released and its rearward extension 22 will start to move downwardly and forwardly and deposit the band from the notch 25 on to the band or projectile discharging station 34. The rearward trigger extension 22 will continue to move forwardly until the longer prong 24 along said projection slides past the band which has been just placed upon the discharging station 34. Thereupon the rearward trig er extension 22 will swing downwardly and the prong 24 will fall on and come to rest upon the band in the next highest notch'or a pair of notches 3i This completes one cycle of the trigger movement and the gun is in condition for the discharge of another band when the trigger is pulled by finger pressure rearwardly against the finger portion [9 of the trigger. Then the cycle will be repeated. Another band will be picked up by the notch 25 and as the rearward trigger extension 22 swings upwardly it will discharge the sec-- ond band from the trigger discharging station 34. Upon release of the trigger another band will be disposed on the trigger receiving station, etc., as described above.

In Fig. 2 the dotted prong position 24a is approximately the position at which the uppermost band is discharged. The full line prong position 24b is the position to which the rearward trigger extension falls when the trigger is released after discharging a band. The dotted line position 240 is the position the rearward trigger extension assumes when the trigger is again pulled and another band is to be picked up from its set of notches 3| to be raised to the discharge station.

In order to clarify the disclosure, Fig. 4 illustrates approximately the full line position 24b of the prong 24 in Fig. 2.

The aperture 29 adjacent the spring or trigger urging band 35 is provided to permit replacement of the element 35 should it become Worn and broken. This can be done with a small instrument inserted in through the opening 29.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 6 through 9 is generally the same as that described above. The main difierence is that the trigger 40 has a rearward extension 41 with a hook 42 on its upper side to receive a pair of trigger actuating bands or springs 43 and 44 in place of the single band 35 in the other embodiment. The spring or band 43 is connected to a pin 45 in the lower portion of the handle I! and the spring or band 44 is connected to a pin 46 in the upward intermediate portion of the barrel [6. These two bands 43 and 44 also exert a forward and downward component on the floating trigger 40 with the same practical operational result as that described in the preceding figures.

Fig. 9 illustrates two positions of the trigger 40 in full and dotted lines and these correspond to the described positions of the trigger l8 in the preceding construction.

A gun of the type described is capable of shooting successive resilient bands or other equivalent elements from a multiple load but individually with each pull of the trigger. The floating action of the trigger unit has been found to be extremely efficient and it will discharge and reset successive bands as quickly as the finger of the user can pull and release and then again pull the trigger.

Although the gun is a repeater carrying a multiple load, its parts are simple and function with extreme dependability.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

l. A toy gun for shooting projectiles, said gun comprising a supporting structure, a trigger member mounted in substantially floating relation in said structure with freedom for limited horizontal shifting movement thereof and for limited vertical swinging movement of the rear portion thereof, a band firing element normally extending beyond said supporting structure and fixed to said trigger member, an actuating lever element connected in outstanding fixed relation to said trigger member, a lever engaging stop element fi-xed to said supporting structure for engagement with said lever element when said trigger is shifted to swing said band firing element about said stop element into band releasing position.

2. A toy gun for shooting projectiles, said gun comprising a supporting structure, a trigger member mounted in substantially floating relation in said structure with provision for freedom of limited horizontal movement of said member and for limited vertical swinging movement of the rear portion thereof, a band firing element extending beyond said sup-porting struc ture and fixed at the rear of said trigger member, an actuating lever fixed in upwardly extending relation to said trigger member, a lever engaging stop element fixed to the upper portion of said supporting structure for engagement with the upper portion of said lever element when said trigger is shifted rearwardly to swin said band firing element about said stop element into band releasing position, and resilient means for normally urging said trigger member forwardly in said supporting structure to retract said band firing element from band firing position.

3. A toy gun for shooting projectiles, said gun comprising a supporting structure forming an elongated barrel at the upper portion thereof, a band anchoring element formed at the front of said barrel, a band firing station formed at the rear of said barrel, a series of spaced individual band storing stations at the rear of said barrel and spaced from said band firing station, a band shifting and releasing trigger member mounted in substantially floating relation in said supportin structure with freedom for horizontal movement thereof and for vertical movement of the rear portion thereof, said trigger member having a finger receiving portion at the forward end thereof, lever means cooperatively formed between said trigger member and said supporting structure for swinging the rear portion of said trigger member upwardly after the same has been shifted a predetermined distance rearwardly, the rear portion of said trigger member being divided into two elements, a band firing element and a band loading element, said trigger member being constructed so that the band firing element normally extends outwardly beyond the bands in band firing and band storing position, to underly the band in said band firing station and to overly the band disposed in the band storing station immediately therebelow, whereby when said trigger member is shifted rearwardly said band loading element engages the top band in storage position and shifts the same into band firing position while simultaneously firing the band engaged in band firing position,

4. The structure set forth in claim 3 and said band firing station being disposed at the rear end of said barrel with said band storing stations being disposed immediately therebelow.

VICTOR V. MUGGLI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,234,163 Henderson July 24, 1917 1,759,084 Baum et a1 May 20, 1930 1,868,312 Coventry July 19, 1932 

